Gonda CMO case: UP govt shifts top officials

LUCKNOW: After four days of dilly-dallying, the state government finally ordered an inquiry into the alleged abduction of Gonda chief medical officer (CMO) by a minister. Top officials of the district have also been removed and their role in the episode would be investigated. The inquiry will cover the allegations of irregularities against the CMO in appointment of doctors on contract basis under a scheme of the National Rural Health Mission.

The officers who were given marching orders include Gonda district magistrate Abhay, superintendent of police Kripa Shankar, chief development officer Arvind Kumar Singh and the victim CMO, Dr S P Singh. While Roshan Jacob has been posted as the new district magistrate, Navneet Rana would be the new district police chief and Munni Lal Pandey will be the new CDO.

The charge of the CMO has been handed over to his deputy Dr A K Srivastava. Commissioner, Lucknow division, Sanjeev Mittal, has been asked to probe the matter and submit the report in seven days. The probe will cover the allegations of the CMO against the minister, who later resigned, and role of other officers in the case. The removed officers have been kept in waiting till the inquiry gets over.

The CMO was abducted by minister of state for revenue Vinod Singh, who has several criminal cases pending against him in police records, on Tuesday after the former refused to recruit candidates recommended by the minister for ad hoc appointment. Though the CMO was released after senior officers intervened, he went into hiding out of fear.

After the matter was highlighted by the media, under pressure from chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, Vinod Singh resigned on Friday but continued to insist that he was innocent and had only gone to meet the CMO following complaints of anomalies in appointments.

The CMO resumed duty late on Friday night but sources said that he asked for a transfer to some other district. Though the senior health officials denied having any information of CMO's request, he told TOI that he was exploring all the options. "Though I have joined, I am not feeling comfortable. Once I settle down, I will decide what to do. I am trying my best to be positive but I am also exploring other possibilities," he said.

Earlier, CMO's son Shailendra while talking to reporters in Gonda, said that the family members are not in favour of CMO to continue in service. "I want him to take voluntary retirement and relax at home. I don't want him to die like Dr B P Singh or Dr Vinod Arya, the two Lucknow CMOs who were killed in connection with NRHM scam," he added.